General

A round-up of the key content published by Tes this week, from union conferences to edtech and teaching with the senses

Efforts by the DfE to remedy problem have ‘clearly not had the desired effect’, teachers’ leader warns

Lobbying the government on workload isn’t enough when ministers have been turning a deaf ear, writes Yvonne Williams

Academy trusts could follow independent schools in removing staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, the NEU union warns

Covid has exposed dire inequalities in education – yet Gavin Williamson talks of phone bans, says Geoff Barton

NEU leaders accuse Gavin Williamson of being ‘blind to the gravity and danger of the situation’ with Covid infections in January

NEU leaders accuse education secretary Gavin Williamson of wanting teachers ‘on the cheap’

Do the new templates and the research evidence to justify pupil premium spending make sense, asks Dan Worth

Nicola Sturgeon has pledged a device for all pupils but teachers want smaller classes and more staff, says Nuzhat Uthmani

Upwards of 1,500 pupils at three trusts will lose out on pupil premium funding owing to DfE policy shift, data suggests

While teachers may disagree about the extent of the educational change in the past 12 months, most recognise that the pandemic dramatically moved the goalposts. Now, says James Biddulph, schools will need a more flexible approach to curriculum design – and a clearer sense of purpose – if they are to better meet students’ needs and future-proof their learning

Teachers had no choice but to develop their digital know-how when the pandemic hit. But now that the majority of staff and students are back in the classroom, Tristan Kirkpatrick has some practical suggestions to help school leaders ensure these hard-won skills won’t go to waste